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St. Matthew's, Montverde
St. Matthew's is a fictional city, not to be affiliated with any real-life municipality. St. Matthew's St. Matthew's is the most populous city in Montverde and the most populous city in the Mateo Republic, located in central-southeast Montverde near the Baroda Ocean. With a census-estimated 2016 population of 219,728 within a land area of 84 square miles (135 km2) it also is the largest city in the Southern Mateo. It is the principal city of the Balmont Valley Metropolitan Area, which is the most populated metropolitan area in the Mateo Republic. St. Matthew's was founded in the early 1920s and is the birthplace of the Montverde forestry industry as well as home of the historical Spencetown Inn. It is also home to the St. Matthew's National Zoo. The University of Montverde, St. Matthew's, is located in the western part of the city. The university is also located a few miles north of the St. Matthew's Sports Complex. Other attractions in St. Matthew's include the McIntyre Theater, Butler Beach and Oversee, which houses exhibits and artifacts of local history, the Montverde Historic Government District and the Bedford Casino. Geography As of July 2016, St. Matthew’s City and County has a combined area of 84 square miles , of which 72.3 square miles is land and 11.7 square miles. Less than 14% is of the total area covered by water (0.98%). St. Matthew’s is situated along both the Gaimes and Weston Rivers. The Gaimes River ends and empties into Butler Lake, just east of Downtown. The Weston River flows southeast through the city and continues into southern Montverde, while the Gaimes continues northwest into northern St. Matthew’s. St. Matthew’s is located in Montverde’s Balmont Region. Its development has been influenced by its location on the Twin Rivers, which spurred St. Matthew’s growth. Much of the city is located on a very wide and flat floodplain surrounded by hill country on all sides. Much of the northern and eastern areas was so hilly that the area had to be completely terraformed as the city grew. In the late 90s, most creeks were rerouted or placed in canals to prevent flooding. Areas north of Chambers Airport are above the flood plain, and are composed of gently rolling hills. The westernmost parts of St. Matthew’s County are scenic and largely undeveloped, which is also home to Poti Memorial Forest. The St. Matthew’s Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), the largest in Montverde, includes the Montverde county of St. Matthew’s, plus seven outlying counties, all in Montverde. Neighborhoods The city of St. Matthew's has 20 designated villages and 34 designated "neighborhoods" within the city limits. These neighborhoods include Bedford, Bethel, Butler Beach, Butler Heights, Chambers (Airport), Chester City, Davis, Downtown, Florence, Florence Park, Hillcrest, Hillcrest Hills, Millford, Odessa, San Ardo, Schafter Park, SMX (Airport), South Davis, South Trentwood, Spencetown, Sterling, Takoma, Trentwood, Wacissa, Wellington, and West Trentwood. To the east of downtown is the originally named "Eastside," which grew out of a few high-income suburbs inhabited by wealthy government workers. The area now has one of the highest land values in the city, and is now more commonly referred to as part of central St. Matthew's. Climate St. Matthew's has four distinct seasons, including hot, humid summers and cool winters. Precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year, with an average of 43 inches (110 cm) of rainfall. Storms occur, but are not common during the summer months, and account for the majority of the average 7 days with thunder per year. Despite the rainfall, St. Matthew's remains one of the driest cities because majority of the year the city receives little to no rainfall for extended periods. Snowfall is not uncommon during the winter months, especially in the northern regions. During spring months is when the city receives most of its rain. The Abajo Valley floods frequently during these months, but a new water channeling system is in place to help prevent this. The region also experiences little sunlight during the spring, as overcast skies have become a hallmark of the spring gloom weather. National Parks: * Butler Forest National Park Demographics June 2016 As of the 2016, the Mateo Census reported that the city and county of St. Matthew's had a population of 226,576. The population density was 2,697 people per square mile (4,340.4/km²). The racial makeup of St. Matthew's was 128,015 (56.5%) White, 15,860 (7.0%) African American, 2,492 (1.1%) Native American, 16,766 (7.4%) Asian (1.7% Filipino, 1.6% Chinese, 1.1% Korean, 1.0% Vietnamese, 0.8% Indian, 0.3% Japanese, 0.1% Pakistani), 906 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 50,753 (22.4%) from other races, and 15,418 (5.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 111,022 persons (49.0%); 41.8% of St. Matthew's population is Mexican, 1.1% Guatemalan, 1.0% Salvadoran, 0.7% Puerto Rican, 0.3% Cuban, 0.2% Nicaraguan, and 0.2% Colombian. The Census reported that 217,162 people (95.8% of the population) lived in households, (2.9%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 9,414 (4.2%) were institutionalized. The population was spread out with 46,336 (20.5%) under the age of 18, 62,289 people (25.5%) aged 18 to 35, 60,767 people (26.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 57,184 people (25.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was around 46.0 years. According to the Mateo Census Agency, St. Matthew's had a median land value of $122,000 per meter2, with 1.5% of the population living below the poverty line. Economy Major employers St. Matthew's has a diversified economy with significant manufacturing and non-manufacturing sectors. The manufacturing sector is largely light-industry and generates a range of products including a large amount of woodwork and forestry components, automotive parts, gas cylinders, electronic equipment, food products, and medical devices. Supporting the manufacturing sector are two industrial districts; Hayward and Wacissa. Both of the industrial sites are rail-served, with several main lines running through the city. As the capital of Montverde and the largest city in the region, St. Matthew's also houses numerous legal, accounting, brokerage, architectural, engineering and technology firms as well as banking institutions. The top employers in the city are: Arts and Culture Museums * Bethel Modern Art Museum * Historic Holton County Court * Montverde Military Memorial Museum * The Contemporary Galleria Festivals St. Matthew's hosts many events and expos each years, most being held at the Bethel Expo Center. Each year the city hosts a robotics convention and gaming expo in at the Bethel Expo Center, with the goal of bringing a higher level of electronic education to the Balmont Valley. Other annual events include ComicCon and the St. Matthew's Aquarium hosts an annual aquarium show where visitors have the oppurtunity to "swim with the fishes". Government Local government The city of St. Matthew's is a consolidated city-county, a form of government under Montverde that allows the city to exercise jurisdiction as both a city and a county, in that it can pass its own laws not in conflict with provinical law. The city of St. Matthew's has a full-time, elected mayor, a city manager, an elected City Attorney, City Clerk, and City Treasurer, and seven council positions elected in a ward system. The City Manager is responsible for all department heads, except for the fire and police chiefs. Previously, the St. Matthew's Municipal Code recognized a City Administrator. When the city originally adopted a ward system, there were five wards. In the 1980s, the Council was expanded to seven wards. The boundaries are adjusted with each federal census. Education The city’s educative system is conformed by St. Matthew’s County Public Schools and other private institutions in the area. St. Matthew’s County Public Schools All Public Primary, High Schools are operated and overseen by SMCPS. The School District consistently ranks in the top 10 school districts in the country and is one of the best in Montverde. Higher Education St. Matthew's has the most college campuses per capita than any other county. The SMCPS system retains ownership of most of the colleges in the county, but many are still privately owned. The flagship college of SMCPS is St Matthew's College, in Downtown. The college has several campuses in almost every district within the county. The most notable and largest university in the city is the University of Montverde, St. Matthew’s, the flagship university of the University of Montverde system. The presence of UMSM has made St. Matthew’s a prime research destination and one of the top research cities in the nation. In turn, St. Matthew's is one of Montverde’s most educated cities and thousands of students relocate to St. Matthew's to study at USMS. The university hosts many science and sporting events and has its own waterfront area. USMS is located just north of the Holly Hills district. The county is home to five major universities and colleges: Public Universities: * University of Montverde, St. Matthew's (UMSM) Private Universities: * Abajo Valley University (Weston) * Holly University (Holly Hills) * Kharrim College of Design (Trentwood) * LoRenzo University (Empire Village) * Spencetown College (Downtown Spencetown) * University of Central Montverde (UCM) Co-Ed * Chambers Flight School Sports St. Matthew's is home to seven collegiate teams and two professional MGAA teams, and also hosts many numerous other sports events. Professional Teams based in St. Matthew's: In March 2016, the Rocketeers basketball team rallied the undefeated Karre State Cougars and upset them in St. Matthew’s to win their first professional tournament. Collegiate teams based in St. Matthew’s: Transportation Highways and Freeways As of 2016, only two main highways run through the county. Montverde Route 1 runs east-west and terminates at the confluence of Montverde Route 2, near Trentwood. Montverde Route 1 is the busiest highway in the county and has undergone many construction projects. Most highways in the county maintain their rural status, with 2 lanes each direction, but Montverde Route 1 has recently completed construction of four lanes each way. Portions of Route 2 also have 3 lanes, specifically near the confluence of route 1. In addition, the Abajo Highway runs through the Abajo Valley and connects the region with the rest of St. Matthew's via its confluence with Route 1. Mass Transit The SMTA Mass Transit Project, which was on course for completion in 2017, was completed several months early. The St. Matthew's Transit Authority now operates several over 20 bus lines across the county, specifically in St. Matthew’s City and Spencetown, where congestion continues to plague the two cities. The SMTA also directly subcontracts private local bus agencies that supply busses for local transit lines. The SMTA also operates the regional metro system, which covers nearly all of the city limits. The subway has been the fastest growing mass transit service in the city and the city plans to add more lines as the system expands into the valley. Airports Chambers National Airport (CIA) opened in early 2016, in what was then the northern part of St. Matthew's County. It is the now one of two primary airports of the St. Matthew’s Metropolitan Area, and one of the top employers for residents of St. Matthew’s County. The Airport has historically handled both international and domestic flights, but now only handles domestic flights due to the presence of SMX. St. Matthew’s International Airport opened in July 2016. It was built to answer the demanding influx of tourists and was designated the official international airport of the St. Matthew's Metro Area. As a result, Chambers was designated as a national airport and flights were redirected to SMX. The airport has a built-in metro station and the area outside the airport serves as a mixed-use commercial area. Rail SMTA operates St. Matthew’s Rail Authority (SMRA), which operates 3 rail lines across the county. There are currently two passenger train stations in the county (St. Matthew's City and Hillcrest). The agency also oversees two freight stations, both located on the site of Chambers International Airport. Taxi The ZETI EXPRESS CAB CO. Is the official cab company of St. Matthew's. The privately-owned company is currently the only authorized taxi service in the county and has over 10 depots in city limits. Traffic St. Matthew’s is also noted to have one of the worst freeway traffic congestion of any major city, with commuters spending more than 45 minutes a day in non-rush hour traffic. Since then, the city has implemented new bus routes, metro lines, and has encouraged biking within the city. Communities Villages * Carriage Hill * Concord Highlands * Dale Crossing * Elm Village * Empire Village * East Wheaton * Hickory Square * Garland * Mill Heights * Moore * Palomino Highlands * Pine Meadow * Spruce Park * South Davis * Sunnyside Heights * Westcott Village * Wheaton * Wheaton Village * Woodland Park North Region * East Holly Hills * Holly Hills * Rossing * Washington Abajo Valley * Briarwood * Holly Square * Weston Neighborhoods * Bedford * Bethel * Butler Beach * Butler Heights * Chambers (Airport) * Chester City * Davis * Downtown * Florence * Florence Park * Hillcrest * Hillcrest Hills * Millford * Odessa * San Ardo * Schafter Park * SMX (Airport) * South Davis * South Trentwood * Spencetown * Sterling * Takoma * Trentwood * Wacissa * Wellington *West Trentwood